You Bring the Summer
by TimeSpace64
Summary: Peter Tork revisits some old memories as he listens to the music of a band that he once knew. Inspiration comes from the Monkees song, 'You Bring the Summer,' and 'Shades of Grey.' Disclaimer: I do not own the Monkees, their songs, the television show, or the music video for 'You Bring the Summer.'
1. Part I: You Told Me

_**Author's Note: I do not own the Monkees, any scenes from the music video from**_ **'You Bring the Summer,'** _ **any of the music from**_ **'Headquarters,'** ** _any of the characters from the television show, nor any of the song lyrics. I own none of it. This story was inspired by the scenes from_** **'You Bring the Summer,** ** _' and this is all from the point of view of the television band._**

~PART I: YOU TOLD ME~

The aging musician smiled as his last visitor quietly shut the door to his room. Realistically, he was swimming in the over-sized bed that he temporarily lived in. Before falling ill he was a live spirit, determined to make music till his last breath. Now here he was; cold, shaky, and miserable. Over in the corner of the room a modern record player presented Peter Tork's ears with the music of Mozart. Peter smiled at the music, dozing off into another despondent nap that would leave him feeling worse off later. A soft knock woke him.

"Peter?" The aged voice of his wife called. The door to the room creaking open when she entered.

"Hm?" Was all he could reply with.

"I love you." She smiled.

"I love you," He replied, smiling. The old woman walked over to the other side of the bed, preparing herself to sit on it. "Dear?"

"Yes Peter?"

"Put on something from the band." He said, motioning towards the record player. His wife smiled. She enjoyed the moments when her husband relished in old memories from his youth. The band was what made him the man he was. It was because of them that she met her dear husband in the first place. She moved to the record player, kneeling to get a look at their collection.

"Ah, how about this one?" She asked, holding up an album labeled _Good Times!_ Peter shook his head. "Earlier."

Peter's wife put the album back and browsed some more. After a moment she pulled another album out. "HEAD?"

"Hell no." Peter smiled, trying to laugh. His laugh ended in a rough, bitter cough.

His wife sighed and returned the album. For the third time she held up another album. "How about Headquaters?"

Peter smiled and nodded. His wife smiled too as she put the record on the record player. As she dropped the needle, the familiar ringing of a cell phone filled the bedroom. Once the record was set, Peter's wife dismissed herself to answer the phone. Peter smiled when he heard the faint rambles of his late band mates. His entire body relaxed when he heard an old friend's voice on the record declare, "You told me you'd always stay, you told me! You told me you'd never stray, you told me! All these things you said you said sincerely. Still I'm leaving you in spite of what you told me."

 _"Davy, how could this happen?" Peter asked, twiddling his thumbs. They were in the pad. He looked around at the other two Monkees in the room. They both shared the same look of worry._

 _"I don't know, Peter." Davy sighed. "Those words he said…"_

 _"They hurt." Micky frowned, looking out at the cold, dark clouds rolling in. "Looks like it's going to rain." A crash of thunder roared in the small pad and all the lights blinked off. "Great. Power's out."_

 _"I wish Mike was here." Peter sighed, lying down on the couch._

 _"I do too, Pete." Micky said as well, flopping down on the floor in front of the couch. "I do too..."_

 _"How did this even happen?" Davy asked._

 _"I think someone got inside his head." Micky suggested, "Was it that girl he was hanging with?"_

 _"Anna? No, I don't think so. Our boss on the other hand, he said some harsh things to him that sounded similar to what he said to us." Davy pointed out, sitting on the arm chair of the couch._

 _"What did he say to Mike?" Micky asked._

 _"He said stuff like how bad we were, how useless we are, and how we will not get anywhere in life the way we're going about it now." Davy sighed._

 _"And then Mike blew up and said the same thing." Peter said, tears filling his eyes. "I don't even understand what we did wrong. I mean, we were just practicing and he started yelling…"_

 _"Peter," Davy sighed, walking over to the two Monkees. "I'm sure he just needs to cool off first. He'll be back. He probably didn't mean it."_

 _"Davy, he said, and I quote, 'I don't know why I ever decided to live with the three of you in the first place. I don't ever want to see you three again.'" Micky sighed, rolling over onto his stomach._

 _The three men sat in silence for a moment, all revisiting that morning's terrible episode in their heads. Micky sat up, pulling his blue zip-up closer to himself, zipping it up over his black shirt and shivering. "Well, we can't dwell on this forever."_

 _"Why not?" Peter asked. "We're down a band member and a friend. We're practically out of a job at this point."_

 _"Peter, you can always teach me bass and you can play guitar." Davy suggested, pulling his black jacket over his black-and-white striped shirt._

 _"It's not the same." Peter frowned. "Micky, what time is it?"_

 _Micky glanced down at his watch. "Almost five."_

 _Davy and Peter groaned. "This is going to be a long night." Davy sighed._

 _Suddenly, the front door knob rattled. The three men jumped, all landing on their feet, ready to attack, or flee as the case usually is. They all watched as the door knob continued to rattle, but finally succeeding in turning. The door swung open, revealing the tall, soaked Texan that they had seen storm off earlier that morning. At his feet was a giant bag labeled, 'POPCORN.'_

 _"Michael!" Davy, Micky, and Peter yelped, dropping their previous stances and running up to the man._

 _Mike gave them all a shy smile. "Hey guys… I'm sorry about this morning… I didn't mean it."_

 _"I told you guys!" Davy said proudly._

 _"Why'd you come back?" Peter asked._

 _"I missed you guys." Mike smiled. "And they were giving away damaged products at the grocery store and I grabbed as much as this popcorn bag could carry." The four men smiled, happy that they were all reunited. All the lights in the pad suddenly flickered on, causing Micky, Davy, and Peter to laugh._


	2. Part II: I'll Spend My Life With You

~PART II: I'LL SPEND MY LIFE WITH YOU~

"Yes, I must have more to love than what you told me. Yes, I must have more to love than what you told me…" The song faded out. Peter smiled as the next song began, quiet and petite. Peter could see Micky singing the words gracefully behind his drum kit, as he did years upon years ago. A old memory crept into his mind as Micky's voice serenaded the old man.

"People come and people go, movin' fast and movin' slow. I'm in a crowd, yet I'm all alone. The road is long, the road is rough. I do believe I've had enough. I'm gonna turn around and head for home."

" _Micky!" Peter yelled, running after the man. Micky, trying to be funny, ran off with their volleyball that they were playing with on the beach. In a scrambled haste, himself, Mike, and Davy all chased after Micky, in hopes of retrieving the ball._

" _Where could he possibly be going?" Davy asked as they quickly found themselves in town, clad in their beach attire. The paved sidewalk burned their feet a little, so they just kept running._

 _They saw Micky turn a corner and they quickly followed. After a minute around the corner they skidded to a halt. They jumped into the shadow of a building to cool off their feet while they caught their breath._

" _We lost him." Mike gasped for breath, leaning against the building._

" _Where could he have possibly gone?" Peter asked, looking around at the bustling streets of Malibu._

 _Suddenly, they heard a scream come from the building they were leaning against. The three Monkees looked at each other and nodded. "Found him." They all said in sync. Within seconds they were running into the building, sliding here and there to find the room Micky was in._

" _Fellas, I found him!" Davy yelled after a few minutes of looking in various rooms. Peter and Mike raced up to him, looking in through the doors. There was an auction taking place, and Micky was standing in the middle of it all. On stage an older gentleman glared at the four men while a shattered vase laid under their volleyball._

" _Micky!" Mike hissed. He slid into the room and smiled awkwardly at the auctioneer. "I'm sorry, for this, sir." Mike pulled Micky back a little while Peter and Davy entered the room behind them. The auctioneer's face suddenly lit up._

" _Peter?" The auctioneer asked, surprised to see the Monkee._

" _Uncle Albert?" Peter asked, surprised to see the auctioneer as well._

" _Do you know this man?" Peter's uncle asked, gesturing towards Micky._

" _He's one of my band mates, Uncle Albert. I'm sorry for whatever trouble he has caused you." Peter blushed, quickly running up to the stage to retrieve their volleyball._

" _Oh, no hard feelings, Peter." Peter's uncle laughed, handing Peter their volleyball. "All he has to do is come back later and work to pay off the vase. If he didn't know you, he would probably have to pay for it all upfront. I know how your financial situation is, Peter."_

" _And how much time will that be?" Mike asked. "To work off the vase, I mean."_

" _Two weeks, tops." Peter's uncle smiled._ _Davy, Micky, and Mike gave a sigh of relief. The four men walked out of the room and into the lobby._

" _Thanks for saving me back there, Pete." Micky finally said, smiling. "I sure am lucky I ran into your uncle's auction and not anyone else's."_

" _You wouldn't have needed saving if you just stayed on the beach!" Mike scowled, but then smiled. "Come on, let's go home. We have a long walk ahead of us." They all exited the building, standing in the shade of the building. Davy took one step out of the shadow and yelped, jumping back in._

" _It's hotter than before!"_

" _Well, then we better start running." Mike sighed. Thus the four were off, running down the streets of Malibu, still clad in their beach attire._


	3. Part III: Forget That Girl

~PART III: FORGET THAT GIRL~

Peter chuckled to himself at the memory. If he thought hard enough, he could still feel the burning sensation the sidewalk gifted him with on that particular day. The song faded out, springing into the familiar tune of, 'Forget That Girl.' Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Peter's wife reemerged, running over and stopping the record player momentarily.

"Peter, Dr. Robert is here to see you." She said as calmly as she could. He could tell she was worried sick over something, but Peter let it pass.

"Alright, dear. Send him in." Peter cringed at how raw his voice sounded. "But dear?"

"Yes?" She asked.

"The record player, turn it back to, 'Forget That Girl,' will you please?" Peter closed his eyes, waiting for the song to play.

"Of course, my love." His wife said. After a few moments of awkward silence, the song started back up again, Peter loosing himself in the sound of an old friend's voice.

"Forget that girl, she'll only make you sad someday. Forget that girl, she'll never make you happy…"

" _Davy? Davy!" Peter yelled. They had a gig in an hour and the short, English member of their band was nowhere to be found. He, Mike, and Micky had checked the beach, the pad, and now they were searching the town. The sky was grey and they all had a feeling a storm was brewing inside the clouds. Rumor went around saying that this was going to be the biggest storm since 1966._

" _Davy!" Mike yelled. They were all wearing their blue, eight-button uniforms. Mike whipped his wool hat off of his head and ran a hand through his hair. "This is bad. If he's not at the gig, we'll be fired for sure."_

" _It can't be that bad, Mike," Micky said. "I mean, we can always tell them Davy's sick."_

" _No, that won't fly. The only reason we were hired in the first place was because the owner's daughter liked Davy."_

" _Davy!" Peter yelped, pointing towards the park they were passing. They all looked over to see the midget in blue lying on a picnic blanket, reading a newspaper._

" _Davy!" Micky and Mike joined in. They all ran over to him, skidding to a halt before they could trample him. They all stood over him, but the Englishman was not paying attention._

" _Davy!" They all yelled in sync. However, the boy was too busy reading the paper._

" _Davy?" Peter asked._

" _Da-vy." Micky sang._

" _Davy!" Mike yelled._

 _Finally Davy jumped, snapping out of his daze. He looked up at his bandmates, confused. "Fellas? What are you doing here? Charlotte is supposed to be here any minute now."_

" _Well,_ _we have a gig we have to be at any minute now, and we need you to be there." Mike scolded._

" _The gig!" Davy slapped his forehead. "I had completely forgotten about that!" Davy sighed. "Jeez, I'm sorry fellas."_

" _You forgot about the gig? Even though you're wearing the shirt we were supposed to wear tonight?" Micky asked._

" _Not to mention I outright told you we had a gig tonight!" Mike joined in. Mike continued to lecture the boy, but Peter wasn't listening._

" _Uh…" Peter said, tugging on Mike's shirt sleeve._

" _Not now, Peter." Mike said as he continued to lecture Davy._

" _Guys?" Peter said again, his eyes fixed on a couple across the street. The other three snapped out of it and looked at Peter._

" _What is it, Pete?" Micky asked._

" _Davy, is that Charlotte over there?" Peter asked, pointing towards the couple. Davy jumped up off the ground to see. When he saw the couple, his face fell and he flopped back down onto the picnic blanket._

" _Oh man…" Micky moaned, sitting down next to him._

" _I'm sorry, Davy." Mike said, sitting next to Davy as well._

" _Why is she with him?" Peter asked, sitting down as well._

" _How should I know?" Davy sighed, flopping onto his back, heartbroken._

" _Hey man, don't dwell on it. It's not healthy." Mike said, pulling Davy back into a sitting position._

" _Yeah," Micky said, putting a hand on Davy's shoulder. "Forget that girl."_

" _Even though you find it's hard." Peter sang. Davy smiled at Peter's reference. Mike and Micky joined in._

" _Forget that girl," Micky said again._

" _Even though you love her!" Mike sang, making Davy laugh when he sang 'her' far too high._

" _She's in love with him, my friend, she's in love with him. Oh yeah, she's in love with him..." The three sang in their best mock-Davy impression. A small ray of sunlight shone through the dark clouds as Davy laughed at them, the heartbreak somewhat subsiding._

" _You ready to go to work now, Davy?" Mike asked._

" _Yeah, I think I am." Davy smiled shyly. "Let's go."_

" _Here, we'll help you pack up." Peter offered, moving the picnic basket off the blanket. The four Monkees cleaned up the picnic and walked off, ready to do what they did best; make music._


	4. Part IV: Band 6

~PART IV: BAND 6~

"Mr. Tork?" Dr. Robert asked. Peter opened an eye to let him know he had his attention now. "Thank you. At first I thought you were asleep. Your wife told me you were awake."

"I am," Peter said, "I'm just tired."

"Well, let's not worry about that now." Dr. Robert smiled. 'Band 6' began playing in the background and Peter smiled. The good doctor noticed this and questioned the move.

"I remember when we recorded this in the studio." Peter reminisce. "Davy, Mike, and I were all sitting in the studio with Micky and Micky was having one heck of a time getting that drum rhythm down. We had played the same thing over and over again. Our producer was not satisfied with Micky's inability to play that rhythm. Finally, though, he got it and we all were so happy that we caught it on tape. Micky was so proud of himself he begged us to put in on the album. Naturally we obliged."

"I see." Dr. Robert said, clearly not interested. 'Band 6' ended as quickly as it started. 'You Just May Be the One' quickly started up and Peter smiled, ignoring Dr. Robert once again. When Dr. Robert noticed this, he sighed and left the room, annoyed that the ill man was too interested in his music to care about his health.


	5. Part V: You Just May Be the One

~PART V: YOU JUST MAY BE THE ONE~

"All men must have someone, have someone who would never take advantage of a love bright as the sun. Someone to understand them, and you just may be the one."

" _All men must have someone, have someone who would never take for granted, all the pleasures and the fun. Someone to stand beside them, and you just may be the one." Michael sang on stage. Peter stood in the ballroom with Valleri, his heart soaring. He felt like there was no one else in the room besides he and her, dancing to the music Peter was so familiar with. At the time, little did he know she would soon be his wife, but that didn't matter now. All that mattered was that he was in love._

 _Every now and then as he and her moved to the beat of the music, he could see Rodney's scowling face in the corner of his eye. That made him so proud. He was able to win a girl far above his social class, and he loved her. Peter smiled brightly at Valleri and she returned the smile, along with a cheerful laugh._

 _Every now and then he would catch a glimpse of his friends, all three of them smiling, showing their support. As Mike continued to sing, he would wink at him. Davy nodded his head in approval, even giving him a thumbs up every now and then. Micky smiled at him with his great, goofy smile, showing that he cared. Peter felt so blessed to have such great friends, and now having such a great girl in his arms. When the song ended, Valleri laughed._

" _I've never had so much fun in my life." She smiled, looking up at Peter._

" _You're beautiful." Was all Peter could muster._

" _May I have another dance?" She asked, taking his hand in hers._

" _Uh, yeah, of course." Peter smiled, looking up at his friends. They took that as a queue to play again, and so they did. Peter could not recall the music that played, only the happiness he felt as he danced with his future wife again and again._


	6. Part VI: Shades of Grey

~PART VI: SHADES OF GREY~

Peter's wife entered the room once more, giving Peter a well deserved glare. "Peter? Why are you not cooperating with Dr. Robert?"

"Shush Valleri," Peter smiled, opening his eyes to catch a glimpse of his wife. Valleri sighed, but smiled. She sat on the bed with her husband. She took his hand in hers, sighing. "I love you, Peter."

"I love you, Valleri." Peter smiled, closing his eyes one last time.

"When the world and I were young, just yesterday… Life was such a simple game, a child could play…"

 _The snow was surprisingly comfortable under Peter's body. It wasn't cold at all. It was just... comfortable. Peter felt so young. He felt renewed. He could hear the sound of birds chirping around him and he could feel the movement of butterflies above him. He took in a deep breath, totally relaxed._

 _"It was easy then to tell right from wrong, easy then to tell weak from strong, when a man should stand and fight, or just go along…" Peter heard familiar voices sing. He opened his eyes, first seeing the bright blue sky above him. Suddenly, he felt something wet under his back. He glanced over and saw a small river of water trickling through the snow towards him. Looking up farther he actually saw green grass and flowers surrounded by white snow. Observing farther, he saw three pairs of shoes, followed by six legs, which lead to Peter seeing the young Michael, Micky, and Davy standing before him. Davy stood front and center while Mike and Micky stood behind him. They all wore the clothes Peter remembered them wearing when they filmed 'HEAD.' "But today there is no day or night,today there is no dark or light. Today there is no black or white,"_

 _"Only shades of grey…" Peter finished, smiling. He sat up and looked at his friends. Suddenly, a pain shot through his head and voices began filling his head._

 _"Peter? Hey, it's Mike… Have you heard what has happened? No? Well… I hate to be the one to tell you, but Davy, he passed away last night."_

 _"Hey Pete, it's Micky. I just heard from the family that Mike… he… he's gone, Pete."_

 _"Micky, oh Micky, we've had some fun times, haven't we, Micky? I know, I know it hurts, man. I'll see you eventually, don't worry. Go ahead. Goodbye." Peter heard his own voice echo along with the others._

 _"Dad? Did you hear that Mike passed away?"_

 _"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Tork."_

 _"I can't believe Davy was the first to go."_

 _"Now it's just you, isn't it dear?"_

 _"Are you okay, Dad?"_

 _"I wonder which one of us is going to die next…"_

 _"Peter?" Davy's voice stopped the others, leaving Peter's mind clear. Davy held out a hand to the Monkee, a solemn smile on his face._

 _"It's time, isn't it?" Peter asked, looking from the hand to his old friends._

 _"I'm afraid so, old buddy." Mike replied, smiling the same, sad smile._

 _Peter gave them all a shy smile and took Davy's hand. Davy helped Peter stand and hugged him when Peter was on his feet. The snow around Peter's feet slowly began to melt away, as it had with the others. "I'm so glad to see you again." Davy said._

 _"I'm glad to see you too, Davy. I'm glad to see all of you." Peter replied when Davy let go. "It's been too long."_

 _"Are you ready?" Micky asked._

 _"I think so." Peter sighed. They all smiled at each other and walked away together, the snow melting at their feet, leaving a trail of grass in their wake._

"Peter?" Valleri asked. It took her a minute to finally comprehend what had happened. With tears beginning to form in her eyes, she kissed her late husband's hand. Peter's voice on the record player filled the room, giving his final statement.

"I remember when the answers seemed so clear. We had never lived with doubt or tasted fear." The other voices then joined in, declaring, "It was easy then to tell truth from lies, selling out from compromise. Who to love and who to hate, the foolish from the wise. But today there is no day or night, today there is no dark or light, Today there is no black or white! Only shades of gray…"

 _Only shades of grey..._


End file.
